FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Peace Country River Rats held their annual poker rally last weekend.

River Rats president Jason Palfy says that this year’s poker rally saw fewer participants, which he says was due to the thunderstorms that were forecast for the area on Saturday. In total, Palfy says that 42 boats took to the Pine River for the rally, with the club raising anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000.

This year’s winner got a four of a kind, winning $2,000. The second place winner, who got a full house, donated his $1,500 winnings back to the club. The River Rats will use the proceeds to upgrade the facilities at Peace Island Park and along the Pine River.

Wentworth is a small border town in the far south west of the state of New South Wales, Australia. It lies at the confluence of Australia's two most important rivers, the Darling and the Murray, the latter forming the border with the state of Victoria to the south. The border with the state of South Australia lies approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) to the west. The town of Wentworth is in the local government area of the same name.

River Rats Poker Rally Results

History[edit]

Remember to wear your masks, social distance and bring your own water bottles to events. 'THAT, the BC Peace Country River Rats be granted forgiveness of the Peace Island Park Pavilion from Friday, July 3, 2020 to Sunday, July 5, 2020, for their Annual Poker Rally Event, subject to the appropriate damage deposits, insurance and liability waivers being received;. THAT, the Peace Island Park Policy be waived for this event;. River Rats, still healing, gather in Vegas near 40th anniversary of Vietnam War About 30 River Rat veterans came to the reunion at the Orleans casino-hotel to mark the 40th anniversary year of the.

Named after the famous explorer and politician William Charles Wentworth, the town is 34 kilometres (21 mi) to the west (via the Calder Highway) of the Victorian regional city of Mildura. The famous mining city of Broken Hill is 266 kilometres (165 mi) to the north along the Silver City Highway.

Moorna Post Office opened on 22 February 1855 and was renamed Wentworth in 1860.^[2]

In 1876 Wentworth township was described in the following terms:

Wentworth is situated on the Darling, about half a mile from the junction, and is plainly visible from the Murray. The township is built on rising ground, and, save in very exceptional seasons, is quite out of reach of flood waters. The population is between 400 and 500. The place appears prosperous and progressive. The trade up the Darling River, and the supply of stores to the stations in the vicinity, form the life-blood of its prosperity. Wentworth possesses a custom-house – a hideous little building resembling a watch-house, and as great an eyesore as the cause of its establishment is an inconvenience and annoyance to trade. The other public buildings are a post and telegraph office, for Wentworth is on the main telegraph line to Adelaide, and a court-house and offices, which are also used for land offices. There is a resident police magistrate, Mr. Richardson ... The two churches in Wentworth are buildings creditable to the town. The Roman Catholic Church is a brick structure, the Protestant Church an edifice of brick and stone... There are three or four stores of considerable size, and several hotels. The Australian Joint Stock Bank has a branch here. The river, which, opposite the town is about the width of the Murray at Echuca, is crossed by a punt.^[3]

Heritage listings[edit]

Wentworth has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• 112 Beverley Street: Wentworth Gaol^[4]
• 30 Caddell Street: Saint Ignatius School, Wentworth^[5]
• Darling Street: St John's Anglican Church, Wentworth^[6]
• 1122a Low Darling Road: Avoca Homestead Complex^[7]

Railways[edit]

During the late 1800s Wentworth was an important river port; however, like many such towns, its significance faded with the development of the railways (railroads).

In 1902, the people of Wentworth were lobbying for a railway from Mildura to be built, including a bridge over the River Murray.

Floods[edit]

The town has been flooded many times by the two rivers. The most significant was in 1956, when both rivers flooded simultaneously. Local farmers, supplemented by the army and navy, worked for months to build levee banks to hold the water out of the town.^[8]

Visitor attractions[edit]

Wentworth is now an important tourist outback destination and provides a welcome break for those travelling to or from Broken Hill. In addition to its authentic outback charm, the town offers some interesting attractions:

• PS Ruby – a restored 1907 side-wheel paddlesteamer
• The 5 yearly Great Wentworth Tractor Rally
• The Wentworth Gaol
• The Perry Sandhills

The Great Wentworth Tractor Rally is a commemoration of the grey Fergie tractors that were used to maintain the levee banks and save the town from the 1956 Murray River flood.^[8]

Wentworth was a popular destination for 'pokie tour' bus rides from Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, prior to the legalisation of poker (gambling) machines in that state.^[9]

Sport[edit]

The town has an Australian rules football team competing in the Sunraysia Football League.^[10]

And the Wentworth District Rowing Club has regular regattas and attendance at national and international events. http://www.sunraysiadaily.com.au/story/4598820/gold-edge-to-regatta/

Notable people[edit]

• Leal Douglas, actress, lived in Wentworth in the 1930s.

Climate[edit]

Wentworth has a Semi-arid climate (BSh) with hot summers and mild winters. Historical maxima and minima are 48.1 °C and −2.8 °C, respectively.

Gallery[edit]

River Rats Poker Rally Game

• Confluence of the Darling with the Murray River

• Roadside sculpture, Wentworth, NSW, Australia

• Semi-arid countryside; roadside rest stop 20 km north of Wentworth

River Rats Poker Rally Games

References[edit]

1. ^'2011 Census Quickstats'. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
2. ^Premier Postal History, Post Office List, retrieved 11 April 2008
3. ^'The Riverine Trade (No. V): Down the Murray', The Argus (newspaper), 12 February 1876, p. 9.
4. ^'Old Wentworth Gaol'. New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01982. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
5. ^'St. Ignatius School'. New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01507. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
6. ^'St. John's Anglican Church and Rectory'. New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00661. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
7. ^'Avoca Homestead Complex'. New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01971. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
8. ^ ^abThe 1956 flood of Wentworth, Mildura Tourism Inc, Accessed September 16, 2007
9. ^Bob Byrne; David Blowers (12 November 2017). 'How hundreds of people caught the pokies express into NSW to play poker machines'. The Advertiser. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
10. ^Full Points Footy, Sunraysia Football League, retrieved 15 April 2009
11. ^'Climate statistics for'. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 20 January 2014.

External links[edit]

River Rats Poker Rally Racer